Defeated
by bobdabuilder0804
Summary: Sequal to Defeat. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

_This is the sequal to Defeat. Clever name huh! Not so confident with this, so all comments are greatfully recieved!_

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Something was wrong. He could feel it in his stomach, despite the effects of the numbing agent they had injected into him as soon as they had moved him onto the plane. He looked around worriedly, where was Kim? He looked down and realised they had cuffed him to the stretcher, why had they done that? Had they lied to him, he panicked, as he began to call out Kim's name. His voice was slurred and sounded foreign to his own ears; what was happening to him?

Chase! Chase was there, he'd help him. He yelled out for him, but the man didn't hear it. He was sat only a row or to away, why couldn't he hear him? He screamed out as loud as his sore throat would allow. He had been given a drink of water after he made the recording and signed the confession, but his throat wasn't healed yet after weeks of raw dryness. Was he ignoring him?

As though reading his thoughts Chase suddenly turned around, his eyes didn't meet Jacks as he pushed up from the chair and moved over to the stretcher. It was strapped to the floor so it wouldn't move about as the plane took off, but like the cuffs it only worried him. Chase stood a foot away and placed a hand on the stretchers white blanket, the one they had covered him with earlier when he had began to panic. The medics had thought he was cold, but he was shaking with doubt. He hadn't been able to believe they were letting him go; now he feared this to be true.

He looked down at the hand, his eyes zooming in on the thick scar which circled his wrist, before he noticed how strong the hand was as it clutched the blanket, it was trembling. Chases face slowly lifted up to face his own, Jack swallowed. Something wasn't right here, this wasn't Chase. Why was he trembling in anger, had he hurt him?

The younger man leaned over as he sneered into his ear.

"What have you done Jack?" His voice was harsh at first, but worry filtered through it. He was speaking with disbelief to the one man he thought would never give in to the enemy. "How could you do this to us?"

Confusion danced around Jacks mind as he looked up at this man, wanting to understand his words but not having the bravery to question him. The room was slowly starting to spin and Chases face was swirling before him. He tried to speak but he couldn't form words, they were alien to him.

"Kim's gone because of this, the humiliation you brought upon her. She can't stand the embarrassment you have brought upon the United States of America."

Chase stared at him menacingly as the pain in his leg suddenly grew more fierce. He couldn't understand why, but when he looked over the mans shoulder he saw Chow. Heading right towards him.

He tried to get away, fear controlling him as he fought with the restraints but he couldn't move. Each time he tried to shift the pain flared up even more in his leg. Why was it there at all, when the medics said they had given him something to take it away?

He quickly realised he was trapped. He looked fleetingly at Chase but his heart sank when he saw his old partner move aside, allowing Chow access to him.

"Chase?" He finally called, but the man ignored him, taking his seat once more as Chow reached him, standing before him, his face expressionless.

"Thank you Bauer," he said smugly, "now we have the right to assassinate your former President. Today is a joyous day for all of our people."

"Wh… what!" Jack stammered, as he watched the same guards who had tortured him drag David Palmer in.

What was happening here? Why hadn't they taken off, why was Chow on board. How had they gotten Palmer here; they would never have the authority to abduct him. But to kill him! That was absurd, Secret Service would be swarming over him.

"None of this would have happened, if you hadn't been so helpful to us," Chow added, patting his knee gently before removing his gun from his concealed holster.

"No!" Jack cried, but it was useless.

Palmer was dragged right up to the stretcher. He looked at Jack with sad eyes. He wasn't upset for himself, in his usual dignified manor he would take his punishment. But his eyes, they were filled with disappointment and shame.

"I'm sorry I ever trusted you Jack," Palmer said sadly, not being able to meet the mans eyes. He was disgusted beyond belief. "How could you do this to me? To your country? How could you do this to yourself Jack?"

Jack looked down as guilt embraced him, what had he done? Before he could reply he herd the sound of a single shot echo through the air, before the soft thump filled the silence.

Jack looked up shocked, Palmer was laid on the floor on his side, his face a mass of blood and matter. He was dead. They had killed him. Why had they killed him! How could they do this! He began to struggle again as he panicked; what had he done?

He struggled again as Chow moved over to him, the gun still in his hand, smoke still creeping from the barrel as he handled it nonchalantly.

"Palmer took his punishment Bauer, but we still need somebody to show to our people, your not free after all."

"What!" Jack began to shout and yell as the Chinese guards began to drag him back off of the plane. He could see the prison, his unit, he could see his own living hell. When he started to fight Chase rose from his seat; finally, he felt relief.

Until Chase spoke, that was.

"I'll take him down," he said as he grabbed Jacks arms and began to drag him down the unfolded steps.

"This is more than you deserve Jack. You killed David Palmer, how can you live with yourself!"

"I didn't," he cried as he kicked and screamed, "It wasn't me, I couldn't help it."

He could feel the hands shaking him as he thrashed on the ground, unwilling to go back to his cell. "It wasn't me, I had no choice," he yelled, as though his words could save him.

The hands continued to shake him until he jolted awake in a fury of panic, sweat clinging to his clothes as he continued to thrash against the restraints. He could hear voices in the background but he ignored them, he didn't want to hear Chase condemn him anymore. He looked down to see what it was that was preventing him from escaping.

Sheets. His jumpsuit was replaced with black shorts and an overly baggy tee. The sun backed dirt was a soft green carpet, and the guards fighting to take him away were in fact Kim and Sarah his nurse, trying to wake him up.

The struggle stopped immediately, once he realised where he was. He was hot, his skin clammy and his clothes sticking to him. He accepted the help as he was pulled back up into his bed; the cast on his leg too heavy for him to move, he was still far too weak to move himself around unassisted.

Kim busied herself picking up the few items that had been scattered around the room in his struggle, to try save him some embarrassment. She began to mop up the water which had been spilt when he had knocked the vase of flowers to the floor. Jacks face reddened as he looked away, but he wasn't too embarrassed to meet Sarah's eyes.

She was fiddling with the thermometer before slipping it under his arm as she held the back of her hand against his forehead checking the heat. She looked at him sadly as she waited for him to speak.

"It happened again," he muttered quietly before closing his eyes as his exhaustion lulled him back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Kim paced the foot of the bed back and forth as Sarah checked the thermometer and began taking notes in her diary.

"Sarah," she started sounding exasperated.

Sarah held a hand up in the air to silence Kim, not looking up until the diary was shut, she sat it on the table next to the dying flowers.

"Its been ten days Kim, please don't tell me your hoping for something to happen here, its going to get a lot harder, believe me. He's got a long road to walk until he's gonna be over this."

Kim looked down as she sucked her bottom lip confused.

"How did you know I was-"

"Its written all over your face," she sighed as she began to inspect the thick cast wrapped around Jacks leg.

"Kim, your father has experienced a sever trauma, mental and physical…"

"I know I was there," she snapped; not liking the nurses dismissive behaviour.

"Then why don't you start acting realistically and change the look on your face?" Sarah stated, tired and impatient. "He will react to your mood Kim, don't you get that? He is barely conscious when he comes around now, and he is depressed when you sit there looking all worried. What you need to do is be hopeful, try and cheer him up."

"He will be hurting no matter what I say," Kim sighed as she slouched down into one of cushioned chairs by the bed.

"Yes he will, that's the whole point. Listen…" She decided to take a more gentle approach, at times it seemed Kim was as disturbed as her father at the situation.

"Its going to take a while for him to overcome the physical issues. Its going to be at least another week before the morphine is toned down, he's still got at least one more surgery on that leg; and we still don't have a clue on how its going to function afterwards."

She saw Kim glance at the thick cast as a chill ran through her, caught up in the memory of how it had gotten so messed up.

"My point being, once he can think straight and not live through these flashbacks… he's got even more problems to face. His limitations and overcoming these injuries, then… debriefs, questions about what they did to him Kim… People want to know what happened there and how he ended up signing a confession."

Kim shook her head as though she cold block out the truth. "He didn't have a choice!"

"Look this is nothing to do with me. Your friend told me about this. Then there's Secretary of Defence, he is going to be asking Jack questions, which will help him find out just how Jack was taken and why they didn't save him. People will be screaming conspiracy. He's going to have to answer to those who are batting for him and those who are going to try get him down. Its going to be harder than hard Kim; and you're the one who he is going to lean on, whether he realises or not."

"What's the point in trying," Kim snapped, "if everything's going to be so messed up for him anyway? Sarah I know my father better than anyone, he wont be able to live with himself for giving David up; if others start to blame him, he will not be able to cope with his guilt or sense of duty." She broke off for a moment, "That's why I'm so scared for him… I know how hard this is going to be and I don't want to see him suffer anymore."

"I know this is hard on you too but you really need to help me here; we have to make the recovery time as pleasant and bright as possible. That's going to be hell in itself; but when that's over," she paused, "well we both know it can only get worse until this whole ordeal is behind him. We need to get him on the right track before other issues can throw him onto another."

Kim sniffed, she hadn't realised tears were filling her eyes. She wouldn't cry though, when she had first climbed onto the large plane in China she made a pact with herself that she wouldn't cry before her father again. The sight of her upset would hurt him enough, she really had to be strong for him now.

Sarah smiled and went to checking him over, she unmanaged his hand up and washed it gently before inspecting it. Kim looked over curious, waiting for Sarah to explain.

"Its just bruised, its knocked up pretty bad but I'm surprised it isn't broken. He lucked out on that."

"Yeah I know," Kim muttered, seeing the man smashing it with that sledgehammer as her fathers scream echoed through her mind.

She squeezed her eyes closed to block it out; Sarah watched compassionately as she wondered if she should intrude or not.

"Kim, Heller told me what happened, he trusts me a great deal. I know you suffered in there too, I don't want you to think I'm being nosey… If you do want to talk to somebody, I'm here okay?" She spoke softly and wasn't sure if Kim had herd, until she turned to face her with red eyes.

"Thanks," she said, sniffing again; "I'm sorry my emotions are a little misplaced right now. I don't know how to feel…" She broke off, shaking her head confused.

"I understand," she said, going back to her inspection of Jack. She cleaned his face off and decided to use another ice pack on his face, the swelling had gone down with the medication he had been given, but it as still bad in areas and she didn't have any more of the liquid used earlier.

Sighing she began to rummage through the cooler, speaking aloud to Kim to fill the silence. "I wish he could have stayed in the hospital, it's a pain transferring the medication and equipment back and forth. I'm going to have to make another trip tonight…"

"It was for the best," Kim said reassuringly, now gently flicking the fingers on Jacks bandaged hand. He was still sleeping soundly, the nightmare earlier had certainly wore him out.

"I know. I would have still made him stay though; if Heller hadn't have argued against me that is," she laughed.

Kim smiled. Jack had panicked when he woke in the hospital, he knew where he was but he still didn't like it. He had endured a panic attack and been restrained. This however, had only increased his panic and in the end he had been sedated. At Heller's order he had been transferred home with a nurse with him 24 hours a day. A fully qualified doctor would visit him twice a day, Palmer had added, backing Jim up. Since Jacks capture a strange bong had grown between the two men.

They were both concerned for Jacks comfort just as much as the recovery. Ten days later and he was still in the guest room of Kim's home; having been transferred back to hospital twice for the surgeries on his leg. After the first operation he had agreed to stay as their wanted to take him back in as soon as possible. But after the second op they decided it would be another week at best before they could go in again, so it was agreed Jack would be taken back home. They still weren't sure as to when they were taking him back in, they wanted to fix the bones as soon as possible but were aware that they couldn't rush the procedure. They also had to take the rest of Jacks physical condition into consideration, he was still far to weak to withstand too much.

"How long till they take him back in, do you think?" Kim asked, voicing her thoughts.

"Oh I'm not sure," Sarah replied honestly. "Daniels coming in tomorrow with a specialist so they can take the cast off and have a look, see how its doing. Until they know how its healing and they have some feedback from Jack, its all in the air."

Kim nodded, not happy with the answer. It seemed everything concerning him was out of their hands, and she hated every minute of it; almost as bad as Jack did.

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I'm still unsure about this so please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Heller sighed as he gratefully took the cup of coffee from Kim as he leant against the counter. He took Sarah's from her too before plodding on to the guest room where Jack was stationed, fighting to stay awake. He placed Sarah's mug on the window ledge seeing she was still busy with Jack, repositioning the cast on the bed, trying to hold it in place with pillows.

"He keeps moving it in his sleep," she said with a chuckle, explaining her actions.

"Can that damage the limb even more?"

Sarah let out another laugh before quickly glancing behind her to make sure Kim was still in the kitchen.

"I don't think it could ever be any more damaged than it was when we brought him back," Sarah stated as Heller grimly nodded. "But the more he moves it the more discomfort he is going to feel. I think its better to be as cautious as possible, there are enough injuries on him discounting this leg, there's no need to make it even worse."

Heller nodded again, his eyes flickering to Jack ever so often as a frown covered his face and guilt quietly rang in his ears.

"Which is why I still disagree with your decision to move him here," Sarah continued, hoping to make Heller listen.

"Jack wasn't comfortable in the hospital," he replied gravely. "Right now I just want him to relax and try to get better, he needs to be in a place where he feels safe to do that," he spoke sympathetically.

"James… You could compromise his health by doing this."

"No I can't," he said, more strongly now, "you're here, the doctors are here more often than not. More importantly, Jacks here." He paused. "That wasn't Jack in the hospital, that was a scared and broken man. He can be himself here," he added gently patting Jacks bare arm as though trying to convince himself too.

"I disagree."

"Noted," Heller snapped as he began to get impatient. "Look," he added as he drained his mug, "I need to speak with Kim, help her continue her debrief. Would you please call me in when Jack awakes? I'd like to see him."

"Sure but it may be a while. He's exhausted. He had another nightmare, it really freaked him out."

Closing his eyes briefly Heller nodded as he left the room, gently closing the door shut behind himself.

He lingered in the hallway, his thumb still touching the handle as he squeezed his eyes shut. 'I'm sorry Jack,' he whispered to himself as he tried to pull himself together. Knowing he had to help Kim didn't make him feel any better, he would be hearing details of just what the Chinese had done to him. He knew he was too close to this, but he couldn't back out. They needed him.

He held his breath as he tried to ignore the image of Audrey in his mind, he still cringed when he thought of his own capture and how she had witnessed him sign the confession. It was frighteningly close to Jacks ordeal. He could relate to the humiliation and embarrassment Jack would be feeling. On top of this there was his physical suffering. This was going to be harder than hard, Heller knew, he just hoped he would be able to pull Jack out of the hole he himself had almost fallen down.


	4. Chapter 4

Heller smiled kindly before refilling the two mugs back to the rim with the steaming coffee and wandering over to the table. He rubbed his face with one hand as he peeled his jacket off with the other. Kim tried not to laugh, it was weird seeing the Secretary of Defence in such informal attire. But the house was warm, too hot in fact, but it was necessary for Jacks recovery. Sarah wouldn't have anything less, and despite the discomfort they were only too happy to oblige.

Heller had stopped over the night before with Kim's permission and would probably stay until he got to speak to Jack. He was sick with worry, his concern making any biter taste disappear from her mouth. He had after all, also been the person to help her despite his orders not to. He had risked a lot for her father, and despite that he was sat by his bedside worrying still, his job temporarily on hold. Palmer had agreed to deal with the political side of this, as best as he could, with Mike Novick at his side diligently working to clear his name.

"Listen sweetheart, you don't have to worry about that," he said taking a fatherly tone. "At the time it was important nobody knew of my own involvement. But now its out, the government know, so nothing you say will get us into trouble."

Kim smiled shyly feeling slightly embarrassed before taking the drink from him and retaking her seat at the table. They were both exhausted. Heller reclaimed his seat next to her as he yawned, they had been going at it for a few hours now. They had started with what had happened from the beginning, right to her arrival at the prison. Once they finished Heller put a fresh tape in the recorder and put her mind at ease about getting anybody who had helped into trouble.

He had wanted to get to the important part first, the confession, while it was fresh in her mind, but decided it was best to do this chronologically. Besides, she was still hurt over what she had witnessed, if she could build up to it, Heller hoped it would prepare her for the unease and pain retelling the events would have on her.

He popped a fresh tape in the recorder sat on the table before dropping yesterdays newspaper over it. They both knew it was there but he thought covering it would make Kim more at ease. Sighing he turned to her as he switched the recorder on quietly.

"You ready for this?

"Yeah… What do you want to know?"

"Tell me what happened when you first saw you father, what condition was he in, what happened from that point onwards?"

He smiled reassuringly as he saw her eyes begin to wonder as she started to pick at a nail. This was going to be harder than either of them had first considered.


	5. Chapter 5

The silence grew as Kim continued to study her nail, unsure of where to start but afraid to ask.

"Go on," Heller said nudging her slightly, snapping her out of her trance.

She cleared her throat before speaking, trying to banish the terrible memories which flooded back each time she thought about what went off inside the small cell.

"He was on the floor when they led me into the cell. They shut the door behind me and let me see him alone. I… I didn't know what to expect but… it all seemed worse than I though possible. He was really still, but I could see he was in pain. He looked so thin and frail too, for a moment…" she paused as she rubbed at her eyes before taking a deep breath, "for a moment I thought they took me to the wrong cell. I didn't know that my father could ever be so fragile and… weak. But he was. It scared me."

She took another sip of her drink as she continued to look down at her feet. Heller wanted to look away but he couldn't break contact with her, he owed it to both of them to listen intently and help them each as best as he could.

"He was scared, I could tell. He stayed as still as possible, so I took a moment to look him over. His face was battered but you could see it was him, even though I had worried it was somebody else earlier. They had him in a jumpsuit, blood had soaked through it in places. Then I saw his foot and his leg and," she broke off as a shudder ran through her, "it was just so horrid, what they had done to him. I just fell to pieces. I ran over to him but he wouldn't open his eyes. I wanted to try and comfort him but I was afraid to touch him. He came round after he realised it was me," she said as a sad smile took over her face, before her voice changed again, deeper, angrier, "but then the men came back."

"I can't remember what happened too clearly, I was scared and my dad, I could see him change as soon as the door opened. He knew they were coming back and he was trying not to panic. But he was scared, fear just seemed to come off him. After what they did to him I don't blame him," she broke off to stifle a sob. "It was so unfair, all they wanted to do was hurt him and there was nothing either of us could do to stop it."

Heller swallowed, his throat hurting from the effort. He hadn't realised he was clenching a hand under the table, or how he had snaked his other arm round her shoulder, gently squeezing her own arm trying to comfort her. Kim was leaning on his as a tear trickled down her face, he realised he must be helping her and felt a little better.

"Why don't we take a break, you can get your head together and we'll do a little more later."

Kim closed her eyes. She wanted to be brave and tell him she would finish it now, but she couldn't. Truth was she didn't want to have to say anymore, it was hard and seemed to make the memories more painful as she recounted them.

Trying to smile she pulled out of his grasp, embarrassed that she hadn't even noticed what she was doing. The look on Heller's face put her at ease and she nodded her head at his plan.

"I'm going to go and sit with my dad. We'll do this later, if that's okay? I need to get my thoughts together," she let out a slight chuckle, "my heads in pieces."

"Of course Kim, take as much time as you need." He paused as he looked at his watch. "I need to make a call anyway, mind if I use your phone?"

"Of course not," Kim laughed as she sauntered out of the double kitchen doors towards Jacks room. Being with him made him feel better, even in his poor state. At least he was alive, the Chinese had broken him but he could be fixed.

Heller smiled to himself watching the girl leave before rubbing off more sweat from his face, realising how tense he was as he felt the stiffness in his back as he did so. He grabbed the cordless phone and moved outside into the back yard to make the call. He dialled the secure line and gave his clearance codes before getting through to the man he wanted to speak to.

"Mr. President, James Heller here."


	6. Chapter 6

The light in the room was dim and the air thick. Sarah was fanning herself down with a folded sheet of card as she fiddled with one of the drips on his arm. Luckily she had been able to keep the drips going into the same arm, so his left one with the bruised hand would be free to move around. It was a small detail but it would make him feel more comfortable; it had been one of the first questions Heller had asked her of when he first arrived.

She smiled warmly at Kim, seeing the worry in her eyes again. Each time she left the room she had to see him before she could believe he really was here. She had convinced herself he was never coming home again and was often cautiously scared she had dreamed the whole journey back home. She visibly relaxed when she saw him in the bed still, looking increasingly better without the packs on ice on his face, he almost looked normal now, despite the bruising and flushed face from the cold ice.

"How did it go," Sarah asked, genuinely interested and worried about Kim as well as her patient.

"Oh… it went," she said with a slight smirk, embarrassed by her inability to ignore her emotions.

Sarah's laugh filled the room as Jack began to shuffle in the bed, kicking his good leg up into the quilt slightly as though feeling trapped by it.

"Hey," Sarah said moving over to him so he would see her when he woke up. Kim moved on his other side and repeated the gesture, patting his arm slightly as she tried to encourage him to wake up. A small smile drifted over his face as he started to stretch as best he could, eyes still closed.

It felt weird. The laughter had filtered through his ears and he had wondered if it was Chow laughing at him some more. He couldn't feel the pain anymore though, not the same agony that had ran through every inch of his body in China. He could feel some pain but it was dulled, and of his leg he felt nothing. His mind seemed thick again, as though he was trying to look out to something through the fog. He felt slow.

His arm ached slightly, but he wasn't on the floor anymore. He felt something soft, a bed maybe? This was wrong, they didn't want to look after him they wanted to kill him. He drowsily smiled as he remembered Kim was there, he could hear her, she was okay. He opened his eyes and looked around the room, feeling safer instantly.

There were no bare concrete walls of uniformed guards surrounding him. He terracotta walls and oak furniture reminded him of where he was. He turned his head to the side as he tried to wake himself up more, remembering everything which had happened. He smiled as he saw Kim sat talking to him, after a few seconds the words began to be herd in his mind.

He tried to lift his head but was too weak. It didn't matter, he couldn't feel too much pain anyway, he just wanted to look himself down. He was still in a bad way, his presence here illustrated that. He hadn't thought about the burden he would be to Kim here, he just wanted to get out of that damn hospital as fast as possible. Strange faces coming and going worried him too much, and other than Kim's he had no where to go. He couldn't look after himself right now!

He looked around still dazed as Sarah quietly asked Kim to leave the room so she could examine him. He saw the lines leading into his arms and wondered if they had him on more drugs today, everything hadn't seemed so slow and heavy earlier.

Once Kim had left Jack spoke up, Sarah already waiting to hear the same words he had muttered every day when he was conscious.

"My leg?" he asked, confident but still apprehensive. He seemed to fear the operations had been a dream, he needed visual confirmation that his leg was indeed there.

Sarah nodded before moving over and helping him sit up slightly so he could see the cast. He smiled and closed his eyes for a moment before she told him to stay up, she needed to give him a quick once over. He nodded and stayed quiet as she began her tasks. He stayed silent throughout, withdrawn; Sarah could only wonder about the thoughts on his mind and the emotions running through him. She only knew a few of the details of what had happened, and they alone were more than she or any other civilian would like to know.

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Please review it encourages me! 


	7. Chapter 7

"Easy… Hold it there…" Sarah herd Jack grunt a little as he tried to hold his sitting position, his ribs aching like hell despite the pain killers. He held his breath as she pulled his tee up and began inspecting his bruised back.

"This may hurt a little," she warned softly before prodding the area making sure it was healing nicely.

"Okay," she said tapping him on the shoulder as she pulled his top down and helped him lay back. He was out of breath from the effort, that making him angrier than anything else.

"They're healing up nicely," she spoke enthusiastically, "how was that?"

"Tiring," he gasped as he caught his breath. She smiled again, "its okay, your body has gotten used to restricted movements. Now lets take a look at these ribs…"

Jack groaned again crossing his arm over his stomach. "I can't," he moaned, hoping to get away with it.

"Why not?"

"I feel weird."

"Are you in pain?"

"No, but… I seem slower than normal."

Sarah fought back a smile and decided to leave the sarcastic comments alone. "I know, I gave you more morphine today. After the bad dream you had I was worried you had ruptured the leg, I did it to help you rest."

He didn't say anything as he thought of the dream he had, before staring at the ceiling sulkily.

"And… all you have to do is lay there. Its me doing the work so stop moaning."

A flicker in her eye told her it was alright to proceed so she pushed his arm aside and pulled the shirt up. He lay still as he tried to stop his mind from drifting. He liked Sarah, she had helped him a lot already with his injuries, and she helped him forget about China and the confession while he was awake. More importantly, she wasn't treating him with caution as though treading on eggshells like Kim.

She didn't look at him like some poor wounded soldier, and he appreciated it. He didn't want sympathy and he certainly didn't deserve it. Sarah glanced up at him and smiled to herself, he had dozed off again in the minutes silence. He certainly needed the rest and recovery so she wasn't going to complain. At least he wasn't seemingly suicidal today, which was always a good sign.

Heller ended the call before heading back into the house, seeing Kim sat back at the table.

"How's your father?"

"He was good. Sarah's examining him now."

"That's great," he said, genuinely pleased. "I just spoke with David Palmer, would it be okay with you if he came here, he wants to talk to Jack. I think that if he himself tells Jack he isn't angry, and explains what the government is now doing, it will help him deal with any guilt he may have."

Kim smiled. "I think that's an excellent idea."

"Good, I'll page him later."

"Okay, well, I'm ready to do the rest of my debrief now," she grinned, just saying hello to her father had lifted her spirits.

"Then lets get started," he said warmly, hoping the events she re-tolled wouldn't be to hard on either of them. He didn't want to spoil the mood but they both needed to get this over with.


	8. Chapter 8

Kim was suddenly quiet, she had been talking and retelling the events over the past hour, only now was it starting to catch up with her. She realised she had zoned out and shook herself to snap out of it.

"Sorry," she said embarrassed. Heller just nodded and waited for her to continue.

"So… they pulled me back into the room. It was weird, at first they were taking me away but then suddenly everything had changed. The leader said something to my dad but I couldn't hear it. He was panicking and he could barely move never mind help me. I tried to fight but it was no good so I started to struggle. Its all blurred really, I was screaming and shouting but I don't remember what I was saying. Then everything stopped. Chow ran over and slapped me… It wasn't the pain but the realisation that I wasn't safe either that really scared me… it made everything seem much worse."

"How did Jack react to this?"

"I think he was shocked at first. But before he could do anything Chow began to taunt him. Then he grabbed me and forced me onto the floor, there were men holding him back then. After he did that some soldiers held me down while Chow went back to my father, but he was angry and he tried to get at him. He was in no shape to beat the men but he managed to kick Chow in the face."

Heller signed as he rested his chin on his hand, this was getting worse and worse. And Jacks debrief was only going to be harder, he had been through a hell in its own before Kim even arrived. She had only been there hours, he had been left with those monsters for months.

Tears sprung to Kim's eyes as she continued on, wanting to get this over with. "Chow stomped down on my fathers leg, it was already a horrible mess. Bruised and broken and who knows what else. He was in more pain than you can imagine, he was screaming and then sick from the force. Chow watched and.." she shook her head, "he just laughed as though he was watching something amusing. He just didn't care."

Heller's hand was back on her own holding it tightly, he didn't like hearing this he wanted to be sick himself, but this poor girl had witnessed it with her own eyes. And what Jack had been subjected to… how could he ever recover from this?

She started up again, her voice hoarse from the effort. "He told my father to clean it up but he couldn't, he was coughing and gasping for air - he couldn't move. He started goading my father again and he was going to hit him in the leg again so I started shouting, trying to make them leave him alone."

"He ignored me and pulled my dad up and started speaking to him but it was too quiet to hear - I was still on the floor. My dad got angry and started asking Chow to leave me alone, so he was obviously trying to use me to get to my dad. I was so angry… I was so mad with myself for no seeing it coming… until it was right there I hadn't even considered them using me, it was only when it happened I realised how obvious it was."

Heller turned to gaze out of the window shielding his face from Kim's view as he closed his eyes. He was the one who helped her go, he had been blind too? How could he have let this happen?

"They pulled him up and said I was going to pay for his crimes. My dad pleaded with them and I thought they were going to give in and hurt him instead of me. I was terrified and…when they left me alone I was relieved too - I didn't want to end up like he was. I was so selfish. My father was almost beaten to death and I was relieved I couldn't help…"

She hung her head in shame but didn't stop talking, her words came out faster as she tried to recall everything - she didn't want to have to go through this again.

"The man started talking to my dad again and then they hit him with the sledgehammer."

Heller's eyes raised surprised at this and she realised she hadn't mentioned it until now.

"When they first brought me in it was sat on a chair covered in blood and stuff… they had obviously been hurting him with it. When I was on the floor the guards threatened my dad that they were going to hurt me with it… its why he was so desperate…"

"So Chow hit him again only I didn't see where, I was crying and… panicked. I was scared and I wasn't thinking right."

"Which is perfectly understandable," James cut in, patting her hand again as he saw her clench it - angry with herself.

"Everything had been so terrible," Kim started, looking off at the wall, "but then, after they hit him that second time since I got there…it was almost over. That should have been good right? But everything became much more worse."

She shook her head to herself as Heller's head shot up. Worse? What else had happened. He looked down as he fought to control himself before looking back up. Kim was watching intently, waiting for some sort of reaction. He didn't know what to do, so he nodded; he didn't trust himself to speak.


	9. Chapter 9

Jack looked up form his position on the ground, tears still filled his eyes. He couldn't comprehend what he had just said, his head was swirling with emotions. What had he done? The only thing he could do, he realised as he glanced over at Kim who was still being held by the soldiers.

Chow was looming over him with a hunger in his eyes. He could see the end game in his mind and he couldn't wait for it. There would be no recording, he had informed Jack, it wasn't necessary. They both knew why. They would see the state of him on a recording and the confession wouldn't mean shit.

Chow held out a piece of thick parchment and Jack took it, not bothering to look at it; his mind was still racing. His medical record would prove this was forced, and Kim could too. They wouldn't buy it, he told himself sternly. A shudder ran through him as he thought about this; if the Americans didn't buy it they could leave him here. He was a realist - he knew he couldn't take anymore.

Chow instructed him to read the neatly printed letters aloud, they were going to record his voice instead. Smart, Jack thought, he hadn't thought of that. But it didn't matter, his voice was a strained croak from all of the screaming he had done over the past weeks - they couldn't use this as proof.

He read the words with an itching throat before trying to sign the document with the thick marker pen Chow handed him. He hesitated a split second, Chow saw it. He stomped his foot down on the floor by Jack, breaking out in laughter as he watched the man flinch, drawing a line up the page in reflex. He clenched his jaw before trying to grip the pen with his injured hand, Kim was still whimpering quietly in the background. His hand hurt and the signature was way off; but it didn't matter. He had implicated President Palmer in acts of war. Did this mean he was a traitor to his country?

"Jack?"

He opened his eyes and tried to sit up in a huff, Sarah quickly grabbing his arms preventing him from doing so, it would aggravate the slowly healing ribs.

"Hey calm down, what's the matter? You were fine just a minute ago…"

"Nothing," he muttered, one word answers were all they usually got from him. There was lots of pain medication running through his blood stream, he wasn't conscious for very long, and when he was, he wasn't very coherent. The more time that passed the longer he seemed able to focus properly. But when this was the case, his emotions were off the mark; so he was struggling either way. Sarah was looking forward to getting the last surgery out of the way so they could reduce the morphine and help him deal with the pain which was going to be a part of his life for a long time; until he recovered as much as was possible.

She dabbed at his face with a cloth as he was sweating, but she backed off when she saw the look of annoyance on his face.

"I'm sorry" she said, knowing control was what he needed to have, no matter how small, "Would you like me to leave a cloth on your forehead? You are burning up."

"No," he grunted, looking past her to the walls, he was trying to focus on something but she didn't know what. "Thank you," he added, seeing the troubled look on her face. He smiled weakly at her before turning his head away and closing his eyes again. Sarah smiled at the sleeping figure, letting her hand linger on his side a little longer than necessary.

She checked that the tubes leading into his arm were all secure before leaving the room, wondering what it was which had disturbed Jack. Another dream, she was sure, but something had to have triggered it.

She frowned as she entered the hallway leading to the small kitchen, Heller was comforting a distraught Kim at the table, she was sobbing into his shoulder. She closed her eyes for a moment, knowing this was what had caused Jack to stir so troubled.

Feeling as though intruding she turned to leave, but then so noticed the tape recorder on the table. They were completing the de-brief; a sickening feeling rose in her stomach as she could only imagine what Kim had watched her father suffer through.

"He… he signed the paper then.. He had no choice," she whimpered, now holding her head in her hands. She took a deep breath before continuing, "we were left alone then, for a few hours, until the plane came. You know the rest."

"Yes we do," Heller said strongly as he shut the machine off and straightened up. He was acting strong but Sarah didn't miss the shaking of his hands. "We'll leave it at that Kim," he said softly, "I'm sorry you had to retell such events."

Kim looked up as she sniffed, "its all right," she gasped as she let out a slight chuckle. "Thank God its over."

Heller nodded solemnly as Sarah moved back to the room. Picking up Jacks chart she sighed, it was going to be a while before this was over for her patient.


	10. Chapter 10

Sarah watched him sleep for a while before checking on his hand again; wishing she could x-ray him now to check the progress, rather than having to wait until his next scheduled journey to the hospital. She didn't mind too much though, she had seen how tense and fearful had had been there first hand, and from the small snippets of information she was gathering together she could understand why.

There was a ring on the door, Kim jumped when she saw who it was. Heller had followed her and invited David in, seeing the surprised look on her face. David acknowledged Jim's presence but seemed more concerned with greeting Kim.

"Kim, how are you? I'm very sorry that we have to meet again in similar circumstances."

Kim smiled embarrassed, "I'm okay, thank you," she nodded, moving into the house. She watched as the two men shook hands and almost laughed at the scene, here she was inviting the former President and the Secretary of Defence into her home. It all seemed surreal at times, but then she herd Sarah's soothing voice from down the hallway and reality was brought back to her, along with the two men who followed her into the sitting area.

"Sir when we talked I didn't expect you to come so soon. I'm sorry for not making myself clear, but Jack is still in no condition to speak to either of us yet."

David nodded gravely. "Have you talked to him?" He asked Kim, taking her off guard.

"Yes. Well, a little. He's still not conscious for very long, and when he is, Sarah needs to question him so…"

"That's okay, I didn't expect to speak to him so soon. I understand this is going to be hard for him," he said sadly, clearly hurt by the situation.

"Sir I am hopeful that our presence can help him deal with any… feelings he may have as a result of the confession."

David nodded knowing Jim had been in a similar situation; he hoped he would be able to help him through this.

"No offence sir but, what's going to happen to you/" Kim blurted; she knew her fathers reaction to what he had done would be better or worse depending on the ultimate consequence Palmer faced.

"Nothing as of yet, and it's David," he laughed; putting her at ease. "The government is working on clearing me; because of my status and history the Chinese themselves can't touch me. At the same time we have analysts discrediting the confession."

"How?" Kim asked, wanting to know all the details. "I mean, there's mine and my fathers word, of course we would take it back now free, that's obvious isn't it?"

Heller intervened. "The tape recording illustrates clear strain as Jack spoke. The signature shows force, we've done a handwriting analysis's to compare your fathers signature here to previous ones. On top of that; his medical state shows Jack didn't do this willingly. They don't have a leg to stand on. But to make sure there's no back lash on your father or David, we are pushing them so they can't push us. Were going to investigate the treatment Jack was given while held as a prisoner. We are confident that once we start rolling the ball they will decide they no longer want to play."

"So, ultimately-"

"Ultimately," Palmer cut in, "they can't touch us." He paused. "But I will not forgive myself for not realising this earlier; your father has suffered a great deal… It sickens me to learn that this could have all been prevented before it even started."

The room went silent as each person mulled over there own guilt, the role they had played in Jacks torture. Sarah knocked on the door frame before entering, clearly unimpressed but trying to show respect to the people in the room. She was comfortable about James, her father had been a good friend of his for years. But Palmer? She put on her 'doctor' front, deciding that she had to treat the two men like any other members of a patients family.

"I hate to be so rude but I have to ask you to lower your voices or leave."

"What?" Heller blurted as Palmer stood up.

"He woke up aggravated when you were debriefing Kim," she said calmly. "He settled once it was over but since your entrance sir," she said to Palmer keeping he face straight, "Jacks clearly distressed. Your voices are triggering dreams, and it is not helping his recovery."

"I am very sorry for the inconvenience," Palmer said quietly, "I wanted to see Jack but he is clearly in no state. James perhaps we should leave?"

Heller nodded grabbing his suit jacket, before giving Kim a pat on the arm. Sarah watched as David Palmer did the same, before asking permission to call her for updates on Jacks condition. Sarah watched slightly surprised as Kim bade goodbye as one would to two old friends. Closing the door she yawned exhausted. She saw the awestruck smile on Sarah's face and simply shrugged, it was still weird for her too.


	11. Chapter 11

"It was a success, they're thinking no more surgery," Sarah told Jack, relief visible on his face, but she expected him to be happier.

He looked down at the now bandaged limb, a saddened smile on his face. Four surgeries, they couldn't do any more. It was a success in there terms, but would he ever be able to walk unassisted again? Only time would tell; and he hated the uncertainty.

"How are you feeling?" She asked seeing hearing the slight grimace of pain as he reached across to grab the glass of water, not bothering to be careful with the tubes running into his arm. His other hand was still sore, but the pain was ebbing away and he wouldn't ask for anything to be handed to him.

It was his third night in the hospital and this was the calmest he had been. He agreed to stay in for more testing on his foot and shin, with the stipulation that he be treated by Sarah only. He had been barely conscious when they had struck the deal, and it only highlighted too well the aftershocks from China he was dealing with already.

He looked up at her and decided to be truthful - the two had developed a strange no bullshit relationship, Jack was grateful for her co-operation so he tried to do the same in return.

"Everything hurts," he said, his throat parched, "but believe me that's good."

She smiled as she began to reset the drips and check the blood work again. As soon as he had been wheeled out of surgery they had limited the amount of morphine they were giving him. He was given two days to readjust to the simmer of pain, and earlier this morning they had disconnected that particular I.V line completely. He had dozed during the hours it had taken to work its way out of his system; waking up from the discomfort he felt in his body and the flaring pain when he twitched his leg. The pain was constant despite the healing he had already completed - and it was the best thing he had ever felt.

Without the morphine his thoughts weren't in slow motion and he was awake for longer. He was coherent, even when the pain gripped him. His mood altogether had lifted, but nothing had been spoken of the 'incident' yet. When Kim mentioned Palmer or Heller he clammed up and would ask her to leave under the pretence of being tired. He tried to put her visit off the second day, but she wouldn't have it; instead she was smart enough to stray away from any painful topics. Heller agreed they would wait until he wasn't dependant on the hospital treatments, then the real work would begin.

Right now the doctors were still concerned with his leg, the slow healing ribs and bruises which refused to leave his battered body, despite the weeks which had passed. The health diet was also slow going. They had been pumping food vitamins into him constantly; and now he was trying to eat small meals too, but he still wasn't putting on the weight which was needed. Although some weight had been gained he was still close to the danger zone - but like everything else, they could only wait for the change.

It was the not knowing which angered Jack the most. He often displayed a mood of irritation but he was also too tired to act on it. Sarah had warned Kim that bad moods or displays of anger were positive, as it showed that his strength was returning. Jack was not convinced though, and despite the leaps of progress made he showed clear signs of depression. They worried about the mental treatment, sure that they should wait for the worst of the physical to be over with first. So until then he and Kim danced around painful topics when he was strong enough to hold a conversation; skirting around the edges of what had happened to put him in this condition in the first place. It wasn't ideal for the doctors and certainly not healthy for Jack, but until he healed there was nothing else they could do.


	12. Chapter 12

"Dad," Kim said tentatively, "David and James have been coming by everyday since the final operation… I know its not something you want to talk about but I think you should at least let them see you." She paused trying to somehow make this easier for him. "I know this is hard for you but they are really, really worried. Jim just wants to see you, he says you don't have to talk about anything, and David's scared you blame him for what happened, I told him that wasn't true but…"

It took Jack a moment to realise who James and David were, the informalities illustrated how close she had grown to the two men over the passing weeks. He turned to look at her as he spoke, his voice strained but he still managed a weak smile. "I don't blame Palmer."

"Good," Kim said, tapping him on the arm gently as Jack vision settled back on the ceiling tiles.

After the latest surgery on his leg the doctors had confirmed that there was no more they could do for the limb. Jack had agreed to stay in the hospital with Sarah as his nurse, knowing that more tests would need to be done on his leg. That and the knowledge that with a drastic cut on the pain medication there could be problems, he gave his consent.

The doctors observing him were relieved, they knew the focus of the patient was healing the limb as best as they could, but there were other important factors which needed monitoring too. His diet was regarded a serious concern, they needed to get him back to a healthy weight, but this was taking longer than normal as he couldn't exercise given the extent of his injuries.

It had been a joy for Sarah to show Jack the newly taken x-rays of his chest and stomach, all of the damaged ribs had healed. Although they were still sore and stiff, it had seemed like a personal victory to Jack. He had been almost immobile for five weeks, he finally felt a pinch of hope knowing that if his ribs could heal, so could the rest of him given time.

The had took him in for some testing on his foot earlier this day, every gentle touch had felt like a painful throb as he had laid still and fought with the pain it had evoked. He had been offered morphine but Jack declined; if he couldn't handle the pain now he would struggle terribly when he was finally able to start therapy.

Now that the topic had finally been mentioned between them, neither could allow the thoughts of China to leave there minds. With each stab of pain Jack felt the image of Chow shifted into his mind, and now Kim had brought it up, they were all there, Chow and his men.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through what you did," Jack said suddenly, speaking slowly to defeat the images in his mind. "I'm sorry I put you through that."

Kim gripped his hand tighter and Jack was pleased that the pain from his hand too had disappeared. It had slowly ebbed away with the vicious bruising which had painted it, something else which had healed.

"Dad, I was the one who wanted to go to China. I made the decision to see you, its my fault those men were able to get the information from you."

Silence followed as Jack fought with her words, but he could only resist them in silence. He couldn't bare to tell her that she was wrong, that eventually they would have forced the information out of him anyway. He would never admit his own spiteful relief he felt, when looking back, that they had used Kim. For without her he would still be there, and with her pain he had escaped condemnation, for every father would understand what he had done to save her. Even he understood, which is why he felt like such a guilty coward when his failure wasn't taunting him.

Kim saw the tears in his eyes and kissed him on the head carefully before going to get some coffee. She knew he wouldn't want her to see him cry. He had lost almost everything in the cell in China, she didn't need to take away what little he had left.


	13. Chapter 13

Sitting up against the soft pillows Jack felt more prepared for the meeting. He had distracted Kim from the topic of Heller and Palmer for almost two weeks, but with the knowledge of the compulsorily debrief looming over him, he had caved. He couldn't ignored the fact that he would have to give one, and the more he healed, the more the thought frightened him. In a strange act of personal bravado he had told Kim to arrange a meeting with Heller, trying to convince himself he wasn't concerned, but it wasn't true. Kim was pleased though, wondering if this meant he was finally allowing himself to deal with this, and made the necessary arrangements.

Physical therapy on his leg was only a week away, his battered foot being the man factor in slowing his progress. The bruises and swellings had disappeared, as had the twinges of pain from recovering bones and other trauma areas from the beatings he had taken. Sarah had convinced him to take a look in the mirror, wanting to ensure him that he didn't look like Frankenstein's monster, and despite a few small fading scars and the pale skin , he looked as good as new. Jack didn't agree to such an extent, yes, he looked like himself, but he looked rough, gaunt, ill. It made sense, so he just shrugged and handed her the object back, looking unconcerned. But his heart was beating a little faster and a small smirk found his lips as he watched Sarah's retreating back; he was almost healed.

The injured limb would never ever allow him to be at a full capacity, but he didn't care. In China he had convinced himself he would lose his foot, and possibly his entire leg with the treatment it had received. Aided walking with a limp was music to his ears. Of course, this would be in the future, after months of testing and therapy they told, but Jack didn't care.

He was nervous about seeing Heller and was angry when informed that their meeting would be situated in his small blank room. He had hoped he could be released by then, but Sarah wouldn't budge on her decision to keep him inside, referring to the drowsy agreement Jack had struck with her weeks ago. Although in no pain other than the expected ripple effects from his foot, the doctors wanted to continue there observations. Excluding his leg, he had recover from his wounds. The diet was taking effect and he was slowly gaining wait; and he argued he could take vitamins to help with his lacking of strength and energy - it was to be expected after all.

But no, it was still to soon. Sarah explained in technical detail how they wanted him to stay until he had started the therapy on his leg; if too extensive they could damage it even more; it needed there full attention. Jack wasn't fully convinced but he gave in anyway, still fearful of hurting it even more. Sarah didn't have the heart to tell him that the main reason he was being kept in was because of his mental stability; that needed observing more than anything else. Jack thought he was doing well by staying silent on the topic, hiding his feelings and fears away; but that was what alarmed them more than anything. That and the disturbed sleep he had each night, claiming not to have remembered anything the following morning; not knowing that Sarah or the doctor always herd the continuous struggle he experienced each night.

Jack had made sure to prop himself up before Heller could arrive, not accepting Sarah's help, even if the effort tired him. He had to present himself correctly in Heller's presence. Looking able would help him hide the grooves in the woodwork which he had worked hard to hide from Kim and Sarah, and of course, himself.

His betrayal was something he pushed away. Ignored, unless presented with it completely. He tried to concentrate on his condition when conscious, thinking about his leg and the therapy, or how much of him had already healed to lift his spirits. At night he thought of Kim and Terri, never China or Audrey. He knew it would hurt too much to think of them, so he blanked them out, simply would not allow them entry into his thoughts of mind. He knew his debrief would be terribly hard, but he couldn't give in to his self loathing at the confession, he had to be professional before Heller so the man would leave him alone.

He fiddled with the blankets covering him as he tried to stay calm, reminding himself that he should show no emotion throughout the debrief. He closed his eyes as he waited, dreading seeing Heller again. At least he could get it over with. David Palmer was an entirely different matter, for Jack knew he would never be able to face the man again.


	14. Chapter 14

Heller braced himself outside of the room, silently debating how he should do this, despite having already made his mind up during the ride over. Dressed in his required working attire he had stuffed his tie in his pocket and un-tucked the shirt to try and appear more relaxed, hoping it would somehow put Jack at ease.

He tried to appear calm on the inside but he was really terrified, Jack hadn't allowed him to visit him during his hospitalisation. Despite this he and David were getting daily updates from both Kim and Sarah and had slowly witnessed his progress from afar. Heller still paled at the thought of seeing Jack though, there was so much they needed to talk about, the debrief being his last concern, but the government made sure it was his highest priority.

He knew it would be hard, for both of them, which made him even more apprehensive, knowing he wouldn't be able to get to the bits that really mattered, the things which he hoped could somehow help Jack. His daughter, his own guilt and pain, they would all be abandoned as they de-briefed, somehow Heller thought they were the things he and Jack really needed to be discussing.

Heller knew Jack was a man of pride and his current immobilisation would be something he would struggle to accept. In the company of an associate, especially himself, Heller was certain Jack was going to feel uncomfortable, and was worried his presence would create more depression. The man had enough to deal with, the very thought had made Heller consider ordering somebody else to do the debrief.

Almeida had been the strongest contender, being another worried friend who had been shooed away by Jack as he recovered, but Heller couldn't do it. He owed it to Jack to do this; he just had to be strong and hold it together. Hearing the debrief from Kim had been hard, but this would be much, much worse.

Part of him hoped Jack would blame him or show some resentment, but he knew it wouldn't happen. The man would be emotionless, and Heller was sure he wouldn't let anybody accept the blame for his condition other than himself. That tore Heller up the most, knowing Jack probably thought he deserved what the Chinese had given him. He didn't dare think about Jacks feelings on the confession, knowing he couldn't imagine the amount of grief and doubt Jack would be feeling over it.

Technically it was his job to get those answers from Jack, which is why he was dreading this so much; reports showed Jack had refused to speak about the incident, or would slyly change the topic or the focus of said conversations. Heller had to change this while trying to show Jack how much he cared, without overstepping the boundaries and making the afternoon personal.

It would be hard, he didn't want to make Jack hurt anymore than he already was, but there was no choice. He told himself this would benefit the man in the long run as he tapped on the doorframe, not entering until he herd Jacks rough voice granting him permission to do so.

With a laptop tucked under one arm and a bundle of official documents stuffed under the other, Heller stepped into the room as though stepping into a role. Professionalism was needed, but Heller knew that both of them would need more, if either of them were to survive this interrogation.


	15. Chapter 15

Heller bound into the room, anxious to see Jack but also aware that he had to be professional. He tried to hide his thoughts from his face as he approached Jacks fragile frame, he looked very ill; but of course he looked excellent compared to the mess he had returned from China as. He was relieved to see he still looked like himself, only tired and worn; but the fleck of determination still shone in his eyes, Heller noticed almost instantly. They were both putting up barriers for the debrief, but were either of them strong enough to hold back the fury of emotions they needed to release?

"Sir," Jack greeted officially, not raising his hand for the man to shake, knowing it would only tangle the wires and tubes running into his arm.

"Jack," Heller said warmly, making himself comfortable in the cold plastic chair before placing his hand on the mans knee and squeezing it in a friendly gesture. He took a moment to look down at Jack making sure he had the right knee, trying not to stare at the thickly bandaged leg and foot which were pinned into position to prevent damage from movement. Jack saw the uncertainty and took it as a hesitation, but before his face could burn with embarrassment or resentment he realised at the soft touch that Heller was merely greeting him, possibly even trying to offer his some comfort.

Jack was struck off guard by the movement, Heller's presence was supposed to be on a work related matter. The suit alone showed that this was no social call, Jack wouldn't have allowed it if it were. He watched as Heller made himself more comfortable, now sceptical of the mans intentions. He had to be angry and disappointed in Jack, but if so why was concern radiating from him? Curious, Jack told himself he had to be careful, Heller could be very manipulating when he wanted to be, he had to make sure he didn't play into the mans hands unnecessarily.

"As you know I'm here to get the first draft of your debrief sorted." He paused for a moment, before deciding to go on. "I apologise that this is the first time I've been able to see you properly Jack, but I understand and respect your decision too keep some people away… I just want you to know, David, Tony and myself, have all been worried sick about you since you first went missing. I… I was terrified and I will never forgive myself for-"

"Can we please get on with the debrief sir," Jack interrupted, feeling uncomfortable with Heller's confession. He wasn't angry at the man , deep down he was grateful for the kind words, but he knew he didn't deserve them and he was certain Heller didn't deserve to be troubled over Jack or the mess he had gotten himself into. He was as probably as ashamed as Jack was with himself for his cowardly confession, and rightly so. But guilt or regret? Jack knew the thought alone was ridiculous and that the man probably did resent him inside, for causing the government so much bother.

"Ah, okay, sure," Heller said, caught off guard by the interruption. He watched Jacks face but he betrayed nothing, increasing his own doubts about Jacks feelings towards him. He knew it would be selfish to feel sorry for himself, he deserved Jacks rejection, he just didn't like it.

"Where do you want to begin?" His voice was distant and cold, Jack almost didn't recognise it himself.

"Why don't we start at how you got so badly injured?" Heller knew it was better to dive right in, knowing his injuries would lead directly to the confession, once they covered that ground the government would be happy and could work more concretely on the Chinese, who were still trying to claim some sort of right to Palmer. The idea alone was ludicrous, they were just holding the demands off until they had spoken to Jack, then they would end the matter for good.

"Do you have the records from the prison?"

"Yeah," Heller said, waving one of the files he picked up from his lap, slightly confused.

"Why do you need my version of events, when I'm almost certain they provide a time line of events along with explanations for actions which were taken during my imprisonment."

Heller's eyebrows creased with sadness. Jack was going to be weary, he told himself as he decided to do this the confrontational way, he could try and bond with Jack once he was healed and free of charges. Until then, he realised, he should just do his job; it would make it easier on both of them.

"Yeah," he said absentmindedly as he flicked through one of the files, "I guess your right….So lets see, you were almost beaten and starved to death, and your foot and leg left almost non functional along with many other injuries, because you were physically abusive to both guards and prisoners?"

Heller saw the way Jacks head shot up as he herd the Chinese's explanation for his torture, but so did Jack as he quickly dropped it again, deciding to let the matter pass. What did it matter, he wondered, he couldn't reverse the damage they had done to him just like he couldn't reverse the betrayal his confession was to Palmer.

Jim watched as Jacks head sagged down, his hands absentmindedly swirling some of the bedding through his fingers as he fought with himself on what he should do. Heller saw the silent battle and tried to sway the result, leaning over closer to Jack, knowing he had to get the mans attention.

"You may have given in Jack, but all men break. I broke myself, a long time ago, and I didn't have any family to threaten; but I broke all the same .All men break… the strong ones are those who can get over it and go on with there lives. The brave men are those who know what's right and what's wrong… I'll submit whatever you decide, but if you give those files as your own record of events, we both know that's another injustice gone unquestioned. I don't think you want that, I know I don't want that, and we both know those records are full of shit…"

He paused to swallow hard, feeling a mixture of sadness and rage, Jacks eyes were repeatedly blinking as though he was trying not to fall apart.

"What's it going to be Jack," he asked quietly, allowing Jack the needed time and space to make his decision.

"There were no other prisoners," Jack whispered faintly, finally meeting the mans eyes, his own filled with sadness and sorrow.

Jack felt somehow lighter as he watched Heller toss the Chinese records into the bin without hesitation.

A small smile touched Heller's lips, "you made the right decision."


	16. Chapter 16

Heller shut down the laptop and then began to scoop up the documents from the floor, they had been scattered about as the debrief had intensified. Jack was looking off to the wall distantly and Heller couldn't help but wonder if he was back in China again.

Clearing his throat Heller tried to grab his attention, he felt his stomach tighten as he saw Jack flinch before realising where he was and who he was with.

"Sorry sir I was thinking about something," he said quickly trying to cover his tracks. His eyes were red. Heller had left the room earlier for some air, knowing Jack was struggling to hold it together he left him alone. Jacks eyes had been red when he returned but neither man mentioned it, Heller didn't want to make him feel and weaker than he had admitted to being earlier.

"That's okay," he said, his hands in his pockets as he fought to find words which could fill the silence. None came, instead he could hear Jacks voice in his mind narrating the horrible images it conjured up of him in China. At one point the felt sick, not only for the abuse but also his played part in it. He knew he shouldn't have allowed Kimberly to visit, he should have seen there real intentions through the murky air they conjured up.

As he had walked the grounds earlier to give Jack space he had been troubled by his own role. Kim and Jack had been hurt, because of him. If he hadn't allowed Kim to visit she would have been doing much better than she had when Jack was brought back. But he also couldn't help but wonder if he had made the right decision, knowing Jack would still be suffering in China if he hadn't. He knew he was being selfish for believing he made the right decision; especially when he knew that if the situations were reverse he's rather die in there than allow the men to hurt Audrey to save himself.

"This will be sent out tonight. I know its not complete but I just want to make sure you're okay with what's going to be submitted?"

Jack nodded, feeling drowsy. He was tired and the emotions he had been subjected to had only wore him out even more. His back was aching from sitting upright for so long but he wouldn't lower the bed until he was alone.

"The important parts are there; they don't need to know the rest."

Heller nodded as he perched himself on the end of the chair facing Jack.

"Jack, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't tell you that I would have done exactly the same thing in your position. I know your loyalty to David is going to make this even harder to accept, but please believe me when I say that you did the right thing. Most people wouldn't even hold out that long. David has always respected you, now more than ever. We both hope you can forgive us for what we put you through, but more importantly… that you can somehow forgive yourself."

Jack fiddled with the sheets and muttered a, "thank you sir," as he pondered the mans words. Somehow, the debrief made him feel better, almost calm about what had happened. He still felt anger at himself for his actions and for allowing himself to be taken in the first place; but Heller's words were filled with raw emotion and he was beginning to wonder if he could somehow accept them as truth.

Heller stood up to leave. "What's the prognosis on the foot" He already knew but he wanted to hear Jacks perspective on the matter, and change the topic so he could leave on a lighter note.

"Nothings clear sir, but therapy starts soon. The doctors were hopeful for maybe 80 recovery, but nothings certain until the work begins."

Heller nodded, "that's good Jack, that's very good. I hope we can see each other again, soon; not for work matters. That's your decision of course, and I want you to know that I will respect your choices as I already have."

Jack nodded, reddening with embarrassment as he listened, wondering if his decision to keep everybody away had been for nothing other than spite or some strange need to show power. He wasn't sure and decided it didn' matter.

Jack called out to stop Heller from leaving room. "Sir?"

Heller turned to face him, patience seemed to somehow envelope him. It was strange, he was one of the presidents top aides and yet he could make you feel like you had his full attention and nothing more.

Jack looked down not sure of how to compose his words. "Could you pass a message on for me?"

Heller's face remained blank as he silently nodded; inside his stomach was performing somersaults at the prospects if what the man was about to say.

"Could you tell President Palmer that I'd like to talk to him, if he isn't busy one day or something?"

The way he fumbled his words made Heller smile; "I'd be happy to."

"Thank you," he said, before the man left the room for good. "Thank you for everything."

THE END of this!

There will be another sequel ;)

Please review!

THANKS FOR READING


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